


A Trip to Oz

by Graphite_crumble



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Wings, Blood, Fluff, Gen, Light Swearing, Platonic Relationships, Psychological Trauma, Wings, emotional distress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 08:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2462357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graphite_crumble/pseuds/Graphite_crumble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel's wings reveal themselves to the reader on a trip to Oz.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Trip to Oz

**Author's Note:**

> Reader Fics aren't my usual thing. But I see a lot of these "reader sees angels wings" fics around and haven't yet seen one with this reaction, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.
> 
> \- reader is a friend of the Winchesters and lives in the bunker  
> \- Gabriel is the reader's friend.  
> -y/n: your name.

“Hey bookworm.” Gabriel greeted you and you jolted in your chair, your heart jumping into your throat.

“Gabriel!” you exclaimed, setting your book down. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry.” he offered, though he didn’t sound it. You never seemed to get used to the sudden appearance of Angels in the bunker and he’d surprised you far too often to even make fun of you for it anymore. “You doing research?” he nodded towards your book.

“No. well, sort of. I mean, it is research, but not for a case. Just learning something new.” You explained.

“Researching recreationally? Oh sugar, you really need to get out more.” he mocked you light-heartedly, his usual mischievous grin in place. “But, if you’re not on a case, I guess that means you’re not busy?”

“Not particularly…” you answered cautiously. Last time Gabriel had asked if you were busy, you’d woken up in a Vegas hotel with a bad tattoo and a killer hangover. Gabriel had removed the tattoo for you, but not before Dean and Sam had gotten a good laugh at it.

“What’s that face for?” Gabriel asked. He seemed to remember those same events a moment later. “Nothing like last time, I promise! I’ve got an errand to run and I thought you might like to tag along. Plus, I could do with your help.”

“My help?” you asked skeptically.

“Yep. You know Charlie, right?”

“Bradbury? We met once.” You nodded. The redhead was a friend of the Winchesters and although you’d only met her briefly, it was impossible not to like her.

“So, you’d recognise her if you saw her?” Gabriel asked.

“Yeah. But she’s in Oz.” you told him.

“I know. But Oz is a fairy realm and I can pop into those, no problem. So I thought you and I could take a little trip down the yellow brick road and collect Charlie and Dorothy for this birthday dinner Dean’s planning for Sam.” Gabriel explained.

“You want to ‘pop into’ Oz? Isn’t that dangerous? I mean witches, flying monkeys…” you began, feeling the familiar unease you normally got at the beginning of a case.

“Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my.” Gabriel laughed. ”I am more than a match for the big bads of Oz. Really. Like swatting flies. Unless you don’t trust me to keep you safe?” he suggested.

“Of course I do.” you conceded. “Fine. Oz it is.”

“Great. I wonder if they have tattoo parlours?” he grinned at you and held out his hand.

“Dick.” You insulted him in response but you couldn’t help but smile. You took his hand and rose from your chair and a moment later, the world span around you.

***

The brilliant sunlight was a startling change from the bunker’s artificial lighting and you raised an arm to shield your eyes until you adjusted.

You wiped the tears away from your eyes and squinted at your surroundings. The grass was ridiculously green, the sky just a little too blue, like something out of a cartoon. Just a little way to your left was the legendary yellow brick road.

“Huh. Nice place.” Gabriel commented from behind you.

“You mean you haven’t been here befo…” you turned to face him as you spoke to him and lost your breath halfway, your eyes widening in shock.

“What?” Gabriel asked, seeing your expression. “Something on my face?” he looked over his shoulder and back at you, confused.

“Gabriel…“ You gestured. “Your wings.”

It was Gabriel’s turn to look alarmed.

“You can see them?” he asked.  

You nodded. He was facing you, and over his shoulders you could see four large wings, tucked closed, one pair set behind the other. Feathers that ranged from white to the brightest gold gleamed in the sunlight. It was overwhelming. You had to look away. You stared at the floor, your cheeks burning. You felt as though you’d intruded on something private.

“Damn it.” Gabriel uttered. You heard the ruffle of feathers and felt a light disturbance of air brush across you skin. “I can’t hide them.”

You turned away from him. You couldn’t explain it, but you just knew that you were seeing something you weren’t meant to see. It was something holy, something sacred. The feeling grew stronger with every passing second in Gabriel’s presence.

“Look at me, y/n.” Gabriel asked gently.

“I can’t.” you confessed.

“You can. It’s ok.” Gabriel coaxed. “It’s still me.”

“I know.” you told him, though your voice sounded distant, like it came from someone else.

Gabriel was an _Archangel_. You knew that. You’d always known that. But seeing him this way forced you to see the vastness of that word. The highest of Celestial beings, second only to God himself. And you drank cheap beer with him and called each other names and hell, occasionally you even argued. He was beautiful and fearsome, filled with the might of God. You felt small. Small and foolish and insignificant.

“Y/N, please… Don’t fear me. I can’t bear it.” Gabriel pleaded. The desperation in his voice cut through whatever it was his wings were doing. It reminded you of your more serious conversations, late at night, usually when you were sobering up from too many drinks. When he’d speak about his brothers and you’d tell him about your past and you’d both talk until the sun rose. The conversations that made your friendship more than just a string of playful insults and bad jokes. You forced yourself to face him, fighting against the urge to cower from his radiance.

“I don’t.” you managed. “Not you. Just…these…” you tried to explain.

“I know. It’s not your fault. That’s what they do. Intimidate humans. Let them know who we are. _What_ we are.” He explained. “I need to hide them, quickly. I can do it, but I need something from you.”

“Name it.” you replied. It was getting harder to look at him. Your feet itched to move away.

“I need your blood. Not a lot. Just enough to anoint some feathers, draw some sigils….” Gabriel’s angel blade dropped from his sleeve and into his hand. The sight of it made you flinch slightly. You knew he wouldn’t hurt you, but with the effect of his wings still acting on you, you couldn’t help it. A momentary expression of sadness flitted across Gabriel’s face.

You rolled up your sleeve and held out your arm, willing yourself not to flee. As Gabriel made an incision across your skin, you concentrated on your memories of him to stand your ground. The movie marathons. The chocolate binges. The bad Vegas tattoo. Tears prickled your eyes.

Gabriel let you go, your blood cupped in his hand. He turned away from you and you saw a third pair of wings behind the first two. There were no rips in his clothing, the wings seemed to simply appear through it, like magic.

The first pair of wings uncurled and you sunk to your knees, clutching at the wound on your arm. They were enormous, far bigger than they’d seemed while tucked up behind him. The pressure that emanated from them was unbearable. Against your wishes, your tears spilled, and you cried silently. Gabriel curled the wings around himself and was momentarily hidden from view. You heard him chanting in Enochian, the sound muffled by the thick feathers. A moment later there was a flash of golden light and the wings faded away, leaving Gabriel standing there, looking oddly small without them. He turned back and saw you on the ground. He rushed to your side, his face full of remorse and worry.

“I’ve got you.” Gabriel knelt down and brushed his hand over your arm, the wound closing under his touch.

You couldn’t reply. You tried to breathe and it caught in your throat and became a hiccupped sob. The noise seemed absurd and you started to cry again. Gabriel pulled you close to him and you hid your face against his shoulder. He muttered apologies over and over, his hands brushing through your hair to calm you. You stayed that way for several minutes, as the influence of his wings lessened and eventually disappeared.

“I’m ok.” you finally mumbled, pulling away from Gabriel. “It’s gone.”

“I’m so sorry y/n. I never wanted you to see me like that. I never wanted you to feel that way…” Gabriel said quietly. “People think our wings are so grand. All those paintings and songs and poems. But they’re just another weapon. Meant to cause panic and fear amongst our enemies.”

“We’re the enemy?” you asked.

“Sometimes. Some humans. But mostly it’s Demons.” Gabriel explained. He shuffled around and sat next to you on the grass. You leant against him, still feeling weak. “The spell I did will keep my wings hidden on this plane. Normally we don’t need a spell for it, but I guess this realm’s a little different. In your world, they exist in a dimensional pocket. Still part of me, but not part of your world. But I can still see them. And feel them. They’re part of my body, after all. Well, this body. The physical link between me and my vessel. Each vessel is altered when they become host to an angel. That’s why not everyone can become a vessel. It takes something special.“ Gabriel explained.

Words came spilling out of him like he couldn’t stop. You didn’t interrupt him. The sound of his voice was a welcome distraction as you recovered. You looked out over Oz as he spoke. It was hard to believe this was a land at war. It seemed so peaceful.

“I hate them. Not just for what they just did to you. When I came to earth and hid…They were still there. Reminding me, every day, of what I really was. It didn’t matter that nobody else could see them. I could see them. And I felt so ashamed, y/n. I was such a coward. I abandoned my post. I joined the pagans and I shut down the voices of the host. I let my brothers and sisters think I was dead…”

“You’re not that person anymore.” You reminded him.

“That doesn’t make up for it.” Gabriel said. “I could have gone back sooner. Prevented Lucifer from ever escaping in the first place.”

“But if you’d have gone back, you wouldn’t have wanted to stop him. You wouldn’t have wanted to save us.” you pointed out. “And we wouldn’t be sitting here, in a magical freaking fairy realm!” you smiled at him, feeling much more like yourself.

Gabriel returned your smile.

“You have such a way with words.” He complimented you. He tilted his head and kissed you gently on the forehead.

“What was that for?” you asked.

“For putting up with me.” he replied. He stood up quickly and offered you a hand, pulling you to your feet. “Come on. We’ve got a redhead to find.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, Dean throwing Sam a birthday meal is silly but it would be so cute and I needed a reason to get them to go to Oz.


End file.
